Captains' Furious Comeback Falls Just Short in 12-11 Slugfest Loss to Loons

Sports stats



MWL Lake County Captains

Captains' Furious Comeback Falls Just Short in 12-11 Slugfest Loss to Loons

April 27, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
Lake County Captains News Release


EASTLAKE, Ohio - In the finale of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (12-9) fell to the Great Lakes Loons (11-10) by a final score of 12-11 on Sunday afternoon at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

The two teams ultimately split the six-game set.

The afternoon was headlined by a six-run ninth inning by the Captains, who stranded the tying run on second base to end the ballgame.

Trailing 12-5 entering the bottom of the ninth, Lake County began the half-inning with back-to-back doubles from LF Jonah Advincula and RF Wuilfredo Antunez, the latter of which made it a 12-6 contest.

Three batters later, 1B Ralphy Velazquez, MLB Pipeline 's No. 5 Cleveland prospect, hit a fly ball to deep right field that nearly turned into a three-run home run. However, a fan interference ruling resulted in an RBI double.

After two of the next three Captains batters walked, including a bases-loaded walk from C Jacob Cozart, MLB Pipeline 's No. 15 Cleveland prospect, 2B Christian Knapczyk stepped up to the plate with two outs in the form of the game's tying run.

With Lake County down to its final strike, the 2023 fifth-round pick out of Louisville launched a bases-clearing, three-run double to left center field, cutting the Captains' once seven-run deficit to just one at 12-11.

Antunez then returned to the plate again in the home half of the ninth, this time as the potential game-winning run. On the third pitch of the at-bat, the left-handed hitter pulled a fly ball foul that was nearly a walk-off, two-run home run. After eventually working a full count, the 22-year-old struck out swinging to end the game and a nearly Herculean Lake County comeback.

Great Lakes LHP Robinson Ortiz (SV, 1) earned his first save of the season, facing just two batters. The left-hander surrendered Knapczyk's three-run double and struck out Antunez to conclude the contest.

In all, the slugfest featured a combined 23 runs, 27 hits, and 48 total bases.

The Loons, who came away with the 12-11 victory, were benefited by a four-run first inning, in which their first seven batters reached base against Captains LHP Matt Wilkinson (L, 0-3).

This stretch included a two-run double from Great Lakes 1B Joe Vetrano, who finished the day 4-for-5 with two doubles, a solo home run, and five RBI. CF Zyhir Hope hit an RBI single two batters prior, ending the game 4-for-6 with three runs and two RBI.

Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the third inning, Lake County made it a one-run contest with a four-run inning of its own. The half-inning included an RBI triple from SS Jose Devers and a two-out, two-run home run from DH Alfonsin Rosario, MLB Pipeline 's No. 25 Cleveland prospect, his fifth homer of the season.

After an off day on Monday, the Captains will begin a six-game road series against the Lansing Lugnuts. First pitch for the series opener on Tuesday night is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Jackson Field in Lansing, Michigan.

All six games will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- Lake County scored six runs in the ninth inning at home for the first time since June 12, 2007 versus Delmarva (then-Class A, BAL), a game in which the Captains fell by a final score of 9-8.

- INF Christian Knapczyk hit a bases-clearing, three-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning. The 23-year-old is batting .389 (7-for-18) with two doubles, one home run, five RBI, four walks to three strikeouts, a .522 OBP, a .667 SLG, and a 1.189 OPS over his last six games.

- SS Jose Devers extended his hitting streak to eight games with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Samana, Dominican Republic native is batting .297 (11-for-37) with five doubles, one triple, two home runs, four RBI, three stolen bases, a .649 SLG, and a .946 OPS during this span.

- OF Alfonsin Rosario hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The 20-year-old has now hit safely in 14 of 16 games to begin the season and leads the Midwest League in both SLG (.603) and OPS (.965).

- OF Wuilfredo Antunez recorded a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and a double two frames later. This performance marked the Rio Tucaní, Venezuela native's first game with multiple extra-base hits this season.

Check out the Lake County Captains Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board...

Midwest League Stories from April 27, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central